The new generation: should we take control?

The previous generations have helpfully created economic and environmental crises which they won't end up having to fix, we will. I'm fed up of the excuses they make up and the attempts to force the world to return to how it was when they were younger because it's never going to be that way and they'll only create more trouble. I think they've had their chance and they've not delivered.

Dec 11 2012:
New Generation Take control? Yes, most certainly! Based on what expereince and education though?

It is inevitable the new generation will eventually take control. But just ideas are not enough. It has to come with a lot of learning, responsibility and something called "work". Not by critisism without knowing the facts and history or by voicing opinions. You could not have raised this question on this forum if the previous "new generation" hadnt developed this media. Right?

Dec 12 2012:
This is my point, "experience" essentially means learning how to govern or work in the way that whoever did it before governed or worked. I would assert that this isn't necessary, I'm in the fortunate position of knowing many intelligent young people who have ideas 'outside the box' as it were, the idea I expressed for this conversation being one of them.

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Dec 12 2012:
Mike..without prejudice...New Generation do have new ideas for sure. So does everyone. But ideas and out of the box thinking is not sufficient enough to build viable and practical solutions. You need the "wisdom" that comes out of "expereince" . And unfortunately your definition of "expereince" is wrong. Below are a few from Dictionary.com.

1. a particular instance of personally encountering or undergoing something
2.the process or fact of personally observing, encountering, or undergoing something: business experience.
3. the observing, encountering, or undergoing of things generally as they occur in the course of time
4. knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what one has observed, encountered, or undergone: a man of experience.
5. Philosophy . the totality of the cognitions given by perception; all that is perceived, understood, and remembered.

Your idea expressed for this conversation is about taking control and blaming the previous generations. You make a callous statement about previous generations creating the economic crisis and not having to fix it. It could be argued that the previous generation created "economics" but the new generation created the crisis by buying things that they cannot afford on credit and not learning economics.
By holding a mobile world of knowledge in your palms in the form of a browser doesnt make you smarter or more intelligent than the previous generation who built it and put in yoru palms in the first place while they pay the bills for it.

Just to give you a graphical definition: Experience is like laying an egg. Your idea is like shoving it back where it came from. Go Figure!

Dec 12 2012:
My assertion is that the previous methods have failed and, to continue the use of your analogy, I'm suggesting that you shouldn't shove the egg back where it came from, but rather evolve and become a mammal. I may not have been explicit with my standpoint. By outside the box I meant a paradigmatic shift from traditional politics/economics (communism, socialism, capitalism ect.) which will probably only be realised by those who's viewpoints haven't been narrowed by 'experience' by the definition which I have asserted for the purposes of this argument for lack of a better word.

Dec 15 2012:
Inspire change by action not words. Not by fingerpointing or asking for change. Get up and do something that makes the world sit up take notice and agree with your idea. Every person who did the extraordinary was just an ordinary person before they took action towards bringing about the change they believed in and develop solutions. And they too faced and overcame stubborn opposition, challenging situations, and several obstacles. But what made them great and do the extraordinary was seeing the opportunity for development and jumping into it both feet in. But in order to succeed you need to get prepared to work hard, learn and fail but yet persevere. Inspire by action.

Dec 15 2012:
Control is a troublesome word and concept and to me implies rigidity and lack of cooperation. I think you should focus on improving the future and correcting deficits but learn from the past. Twelve step traditions have a great saying "Take from the lessons what you can learn and leave the rest." While it is true that major problems have been created and have to be resolved it is also true that all history is not negative and there is much to be grateful for as well. Starting from a position of bitterness will not advance your agenda nor benefit your objectives. The world at this point is what it is. Improve it

Dec 15 2012:
Allow me to rephrase: How should we lead?
And by lead, i dont mean my generation or any other. In laymen terms, there are as many good people and "bad" people as there are in any generation.

There's wealth in experience and to err is to human. Let us learn not only from the mistakes, but also from the accomplishments of our previous generations in order to lead an improved life, together. A life of harmony with one another, and with planet earth. Let's not exclude, let's not patronize.

Dec 14 2012:
Well, I live in Glendale, California. I would say that many of the people who lead our city government are older, or old. And yet I see the city government trying to change. Now we have a heavy-duty recycling program, recycling at the curb, which we did not have before. We have an increasing number of community gardens in the city, five currently. We have incentives for installing solar power at one's residence. So I would say the elders have accepted new ideas and gotten behind an ecological push.

Whether the older generation has created economic crises I don't know. My sense is that the human world has been going through economic crises since there was a human world, and will continue to go through them long after we on this page are all dead. I would guess that old people are as flexible and creative on economic ideas as they are on the ecological ones I mentioned above. Plenty of young people have difficulty with economics, buying things on credit they can't afford, or even committing crimes to get money for things they don't need.

Dec 12 2012:
Every generation does the best it can. I'm sure the generations after yours will not be happy with every aspect of what you do. Personally, I believe in elder wisdom, that someone who is older than me is probably wiser than me. If I see something they've done that seems wrong, I would ask them why they did it, and probably they'd have a good reason.

With that said, young people have great ideas too. Young and old should work together.

Dec 12 2012:
Greg's is an astute observation- that each generation hopes to use its ideas and skills for great good. Some ideas work well and others not. Further, each generation tends to hold in mind a caricature of the values and dispositions of the others- often a negative caricature.

In fact, there are older people who are wise, older people who are foolish, and older people who are wise about some things and foolish about others.

Among youth there are those who are thoughtful and open-minded, considering ideas regardless of the mouths from which they come, and there are youth who, with a broad stroke, would dismiss whole generations or categories of people based on not very nuanced views of what a diversity of people may have to offer.

Greg, I lean toward your view that no one should take control and shove the rest into the dust bin.

Dec 13 2012:
I don't like making generalisations about any class of people. Talking about historical generations doesn't further this idea because I'm talking about resolving the damage done to the planet and society rather than allowing it to be further damaged by those who currently hold power.

Dec 14 2012:
Mike, a worthy individual can always step up and take the bat when they come up with a better solution backed with proven track record or necessary qualifications. Many such "next Generation" youths are doing so in many fields today. It is certainly the next generations time to shine, but such positions of power need to be earned not asked for.

Every generation did the best they could and change the old to new leaving the next to improve upon. And this happens by action and education, not by blame and finger pointing.

A $10 ticket for a movie gives you an hour and a half of entrtainment. But assuming that you have the right to point mistakes and find flaws is not a worthy cause. But you can certainly write a script and run around the studios to produce your movie and learn what it takes to make a good movie! Step up to the plate!

Dec 14 2012:
I am a baby boomer. I think of my generation as the stupid generation.

We were given it all. We were the first generation in history to enjoy a level of affluence, comfort and choices that previous generations could only dream of. Unfortunately we also inherited values and attitudes based on fear of hunger and scarcity. Instead of looking at our situation with fresh eyes, we chased the dollar and spent even more than we earned.

We developed technology that is wondrous and far more powerful than our wisdom to use it properly. We continued developing a culture that cannot be sustained and must be changed or collapse. We also were the first generation to notice that our culture is not sustainable, and that may be our most valuable contribution.

Yes, you should take control, when you are ready. For better or worse, taking control is not so easy as just deciding to do it. Before taking control, be sure to develop correct values that will lead to sustainable choices and technologies. Just how valuable is experience and the lessons of the past, in a time of unprecedented accelerating change? That is one tough question that your generation had better answer correctly.

Dec 13 2012:
I agree Ken, that the planet has the ability to correct. However, I would like all of us to be good stewards of the earth, so the planet and the people on it, have more energy to thrive, rather than always trying to correct....what do you think?

Dec 13 2012:
I think we've gone past the point of good stewards as it requires a thing that has been looked after and can be passed on or transferred to the next caretakers. Our planets surface conditions will change and we will arrange ourselves to suit it.

The best we can do for the unborn is to setup ocean reserves and farms everywhere, stop cutting down tree's and clean up the surface of our oceans plus find cold energy. The last is a hope if anything.

The Phillipines has been hit by a major storm and just yesterday a cyclone hit Samoa. We don't have control, we never did, we affect but as a whole, it won't stop though if we stopped. It will realign to whatever it's new transient settings will be. The planet as a living organism is only on it's surface and it can be killed as it has in the past. This we all know.

Now ask all of us here to turn off their computers and phones and t.v's for one day? Now try it for a week? Would you give up the communication tech we use now if it was found to be a major indicator towards accelerating change? To most people this is an absurd idea.

The planet will always have energy the only difference with it's current status is that one of it's species is changing it up to another ratio. We've only had technological expansion just under 4 centuries and globally just over one. Will Grey power step aside and let the facebook gen take control? Do they have the experience needed to manage whole populations?

My countries current PM is a great business man and had inherited the collapse but it took 6 years for him to get the experience of being a PM on the job without "Doing his time" coming up through the ranks learning, i like the guy but the political experience is a must because the mistakes can cost the country more than they knew. It's preaching Colleen but i don't see a paradigm wave event happening anytime soon as some of the young believe that's all it would take.

Dec 13 2012:
Yes, I can easily turn off computer, phone and TV for a day. Yes, I would gladly give up communication tech if it was found to be detrimental to our environment. Actually, I have only a landline phone and the tv is totally off for the summer months, and only on occasionally (news, documentaries, etc.) in the winter months. I don't own any other electronic gagets. How about you Ken?

Dec 14 2012:
Hi Ken,
I did not take your comment personally:>) No, I am not aware of a facebook phone....not interested, and I will not give it energy by talking about it.

When I talk about change, I go back to myself, because I truly believe change needs to happen with each and every one of us as individuals. We need to genuinely "see" it and "be" it in ourselves, before we project an idea out to others.

I am very grateful to have learned from my parents to recycle, restore, renovate, reuse, grow my own food, live a simple and conservative life with awareness of our environment, so these practices seem very natural and "normal" to me! My parents were aware of being good stewards to our earth way back when climate change was not in our radar. To me, it is a very natural feeling and practice to want to protect the environment that sustains us:>)

Dec 13 2012:
Again I would avoid making generalisations about elders doing things for good or bad reasons. At the end they are people and made successes and mistakes. What I'm trying to say is that the particular group of elders have made far too many mistakes and shouldn't be allowed to make more.

Dec 13 2012:
Mike,
What "particular group of elders" do you speak of? Which decisions are you unhappy with? What are your ideas for finding solutions?

You say you "would avoid making generalisations about elders..."

Then you make a generalization about elders.

Mike, in order to move forward with your idea, which I think is GREAT, it is helpful to be clear with your goal, and move toward it. To generally criticize, does not move the conversation or your goal forward...make any sense?

It doesn't really help to continue to criticize without offering solutions. Criticism simply uses up time and energy that can be used to find solutions. What we focus on expands:>)

Dec 14 2012:
To address the initial part of your comment, my sentence in it's entirety was: "Again I would avoid making generalisations about elders doing things for good or bad reasons." What I'm trying to do is post a radical idea and then look to discuss and debate it to figure out my standpoint on it and maybe see other people question their own point of view rather than being too dogmatic.

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Dec 13 2012:
Well-stated.
One's identity and culture and religion contributes to the choices he/she makes in life. This goes for all politicians, etc. Eventually these expectations and influences become oppressive, thus leading us to make spur-of-the-moment decisions. It's a cultural epidemic, one that is rooted in ancient psychology: People want to be associated with a group, yet we crave individualism.
See: Brené Brown's TED and TEDxHouston talks

Dec 12 2012:
That is the crux of my argument, should we not therefore be allowed to use that energy and that more political standing rather than have it squandered during the years of education and the turbulent time between education and employment?

Dec 13 2012:
Mike,
In my perception, energy is not "squandered" with education. One can choose to use his/her energy however s/he wants. We can participate in educational programs AND AT THE SAME TIME participate in the political processes.

When was the last time you attended a meeting of the governing board in your community or region?
You are "allowed" to do that at any time my friend:>)

Dec 13 2012:
Ah, Colleen. But you value education, critical thinking, honest self-scrutiny, and participation with people who bring to decisions a variety of experiences and views. You are not about seeking control or power for yourself or your peer group on the basis of a presumption of greater merit.

I believe education embraces critical thinking, honest self-scrutiny and participation with ALL people, both in and out of the formal educational systems:>)

I am "about" encouraging genuine "power" in and for everyone, and that includes learning, growing, and evolving with information from many different sources:>)

For me, there was no "time between education and employment" because I was gainfully employed at age 13. That was part of my education and part of my life exploration, which continues to this day, and will continue until I take my last breath on this earth school:>)

Dec 13 2012:
There is another aspect to this also, which may be connected to your upbringing, as well as working early. I have never sensed from you a sense of entitlement beyond everyone's right and responsibility to participate in formal and informal civic work.

There is both joy and value in terms of outcome in investing time and energy in enhancing our abilities to contribute constructively with others. We will experiment and make mistakes despite preparation and good intentions but make more mistakes and more serious ones if we just guess without developing such capacity.

Dec 13 2012:
Thank you again Fritzie....you are very perceptive. The ONLY thing I believe I am "entitled" to, is that which I have earned. I feel "entitled" to have the knowledge I have, because I have spent time and effort to gain knowledge. I feel "entitled" to have contentment in my life because I have taken the risks and felt the pain of discontent.

I totally agree with you that there is both joy and value in terms of "spending" time and energy enhancing our abilities, while at the same time, contributing constructively to the whole. This is when our work, play, education, contribution, learning, growth, evolution, etc. all intersect.

Mike suggests that the younger people take control because we older folks have made so many mistakes. Honestly Fritzie, I feel that I have contributed, so his perception doesn't feel that good to me. How does it feel to you?

Dec 13 2012:
Honestly, Colleen, I don't see it as the result of thoughtful analysis- just one still young person's bias and lack of attention to, or understanding of, a complex context. What disappoints me more than broad blaming postures is when people of any age discount the value of educating themselves or really listening to others. BUT I find most young people I have come across to be broad-minded, inquiring, and team-spirited! And I work daily with twenty-somethings, so I see a lot of them closely. I feel good about what I know so many will offer and the attitudes they will bring to it.
And while open-mindedness is a personality trait, research shows it can be cultivated purposefully. Meta-cognitive capabilities (recognizing what you understand well and what you don't) are definitely developmental and will improve naturally and the more so with attention to them and for those with reflective inclination or practice. So I am optimistic about the potential of the young. As with every generation, there are and will be thoughtful leaders among them as well as those who are not likely to play that role.

Dec 14 2012:
I wholeheartedly agree Fritzie....I am very impressed and encouraged by the insightful young people I've encountered both within and outside formal educational systems, and right here on TED. There are many younger people throughout our world who are already contributing beneficially to our world:>)

I also agree that open-mindedness can be cultivated, and part of nurturing that trait is recognizing what we understand well, and what we may not understand as well as we think we do. I also believe it can be nurtured by recognizing the choices we have regarding how we think, feel, act and react, which all goes back to attention, awareness, and the choices we make. Good communication, with clear goals and intent is also a part of cognitive self change which can be nurtured.

I am also optimistic about our future, because I see many of these qualities exhibited here on TED by lots of younger people. Whatever "role" we (humans) are playing in the life adventure at any given time is a choice. It helps to be mindfully aware of what choices we make.... why, when, where and with whom:>)

Dec 13 2012:
Mike....this is very true....it could be as simple as schools encouraging pupils to take part in various internships and local politics. How do those programs get started? YOU can be part of that process. If you really want to change things, it takes effort on YOUR part.

You would like to "take control", as you said in your introduction....AND.....you are waiting for the schools to do something? You are giving control back to the schools....do you see that?

Dec 12 2012:
I would avoid anything that claims it is the ultimate truth to life. I would say that the youth are much more politicised than the older generation, look at the student protests, the occupy protests and the Arab spring. How many older people are politicised beyond a party allegiance? Experience in these cases (city jobs and politics) is essentially how much you have conformed to the social or political methods or paradigms. It takes a level of non-conformism to be able to critically evaluate the position.

Dec 12 2012:
Every generation thinks of itself as the generation of 'the grand change'.
But how can we lead if we are lost? and how can we lead if we dont know the way?
We should face the challenges of our time with courage and faith. We should be aware at all times that only the best of humanity would be strong enough to to this.
We should not be as arrogant as to underestimate the hold of injustice. We should work, with our eyes on the price.

Dec 12 2012:
I would hasten to point out before people post anything overly offensive that this is an idea which I would like to debate, not my absolute viewpoint, I'm arguing with you so that I can better understand my own view as this is a good way of coming to a standpoint and I would hope that those who argue on TED are much more intelligent than those of youtube or facebook due to the nature of the site.

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Dec 12 2012:
I wouldn't have much to say to the person who did say that as it is a sweeping generalisation which doesn't include many of the people I know. It is also a statement which can be applied to many groups of youths throughout history, think of the 70s and 80s with the punk movements or the riots in the 1800s in London or the gangs and highway violence of the 1700s. I would also suggest that they are incorrect in their assumption about exercise, what would you reckon the average age was of each of the Olympic teams? Maybe youth has learnt to question what they've been told rather than blindly accept it.

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Dec 12 2012:
I don't have to agree with people based on their authority, if i have a different opinion to Socrates then why does it matter that he is Socrates? You seem to be suggesting unquestioning acceptance 1 by the selection of quotation and 2 by your argument suggesting that because he's Socrates that I should believe him. Can you contribute to the argument please? So far I understand that old people throughout time haven't respected youth which can be used to support my claim that we should change considering the much greater level of education and much greater availability of information for young people.

Dec 12 2012:
It is just one generation that created this catastrophe, all generations since them have been trying to stop them but they have been and currently to powerful.
They say it is bad when one person has too much power, and apparently it is also true when a single generation has too much power.
So instead of a new generation taking control, make that the newer generations sharing control.
Let’s no repeat the mistakes of the past.

Dec 12 2012:
I think I would tend to agree, better integration of young people rather than forcing them to go through education to the age of 23 or even 27 or 28 before they become a respected and integrated member of society. Maybe even devolve power further away on issues which can be handled by people as young as 18 or 19, in the eyes of the law they are adults and a vast number of them now can't take part in higher end jobs as they can't attend uni.

Under the current systems on the planet you're right but a 23 year old who has minimum experience would not be able to rely on the one thing that get's you by in life, the stepped order of experience. What percentage of young people are interested in politics? Do they google the news every hour? or just watch it at the appointed time. Our minds are too far forward that there is the illusion of instant knowledge available all the time but there is no such thing as instant experience or pre- experience. Our inner selves will disagree but that is the ultimate truth in life, we think forward beyond our emotional selves individually and collectively.

Dec 12 2012:
Mike,
What you are describing seems to be a natural occurance with each "new generation", and I say go for it! We (the last generation) have "delivered" to a certain extent....we could consider the advancement in technology in the last generation for example...and now it is YOUR turn to take us to another level of evolution. I LOVE that you are ready willing and able to do that.....carry on my friend:>)

You may notice all the other young people participating on TED with some GREAT ideas about our future? I am very encouraged and hopeful for our future, and I'm sure you will build on what the last generation "delivered". I say this because I am aware of many young people asking us old folks how to integrate the new ideas with the old ones:>)

Dec 12 2012:
You don't need some ole fogies asking you what you will do about this and about that,
and blah, blah, blah, only to try and tell them and then have them either tell you why it won't work,
dismiss you as being young and naive, or mocking your ideas you have, that may be incredibly
revolutionary and too bold for them.

They are dying out soon and the changes are not for them anyway.
It is going to be your world so take and do it much better and more humanely, after you get rid of them/us.
Some of them admitted they didn't deliver, one reason being that they fell
for the same old lies again and again, all the while stumble-bumming their way
through and then trying to speak down to you as though they know it all, or even a lot.

It is clear they know nothing and if they did know something, they sure as hell didn't use it,
fight for it, defend it or keep it around. You will need all the help you can get.

They will tell you you won't or can't make a difference and that tells you right there they still
cannot deliver.

Go for it and remember, the world's resources do not, cannot and should not be up for ownership.
Ending that is a good place to start otherwise there won't be any for you...wherever you are....
and you are everyone else.

Dec 12 2012:
Maybe I know different, who can say what is better until it is tried. An observation which I would say of the UK government at the present which I would say is positive is that they try something and if the public disprove they make a U turn which everyone seems to hate and try something different.

Dec 12 2012:
I don't claim to have answers to everything, I think I agree with Don Anderson in that the younger generations should be better integrated into even low level politics or jobs or whatever and have their ideas better respected. My assertion would be that young people would be put in a position such that they are able to create new ideas and have them respected and/or tested. I'm still undecided on the matter so I'll continue arguing.

Dec 12 2012:
but mike, i don't think that. i think that age does not count, only merit counts. you want to be a part of politics? convince voters. you want to be a part of business? convince investors. age should not be a benefit.

however, a more constructive way of looking at it would be: why don't you make yourself better by learning about the world, understanding what the old generation did wrong, and then, when you actually have a fresh view, open a conversation about that?

i did the homework. i have an idea what to change and how to change. i would rather see myself in position, rather than any youngster that did not demonstrate any skills.

Dec 12 2012:
Hmm, I see where you're coming from. My concern would be that the current powers that be would continue damaging our future when I have much more of it left than they do. I would suggest that you are in the same position as myself and possibly answer to the debate would be that it should be easier for those who are willing to take part along with their merit. You make an interesting point.

Dec 12 2012:
Mike,
I agree with you that younger people can be integrated into positions of authority....integrated is the operative word....rather than taking control, as you suggested in your introduction.

Do you have any ideas as to how to achieve that goal?

Here's an idea...our regional Planning Commission recently updated our by-laws to include high school students on our board. This gives young people the opportunity to see how a governing board works, what is going on in their community, etc. The students would get credit for their participation from the school, and they would contribute to discussions and decisions on the board.

Krisztián,
You make some good points....age is not as important as interest and enthusiastic participation. Gaining information is very important, and generally, that comes with participation.

Dec 12 2012:
well i have my personal opinion abut it..if we talked about generation we will think about future generation. the meaning of future generation here its about how we can involved on our community area, influenced positive perspective and build our character to be next generation.

Dec 12 2012:
Get politically active then talk to your generation and down. Just remember when it's time to past the baton, pass it, too many don't, I suppose they build the right reasons pending on their supporters but generally they just carry on. Electoral Professionals.

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Dec 12 2012:
Listen, the Beiber card is overplayed, I can think of many many people given to us from the generations currently in control who we could happily go without. Who do you think taught us that it was ok to consume to those levels?

Dec 12 2012:
Continuing the card-playing analogy, you should stop playing the "That's what I was taught" card. It's just an admission that you are ill-informed. State your plans for restoring the Republic. For example, what would you do about national debt? Your low view of the current generation is not without merit, after all we seem to have failed miserably to prepare the next generation for leadership.